-William Butler Yeats

The shocks of the day had perhaps numbed John to what came after. Surely there was nothing routine about what he witnessed - about the ways that Kim Moon, Moira Brighton, and Lady Julianna all argued betwixt themselves about conquered lands and how to divide them up best - but John felt as if it were almost normal compared to the latest things he had seen.

Without Tricia to spend time with while avoiding combat and confrontation, John simply passed time in a corner debating his options, conversing occasionally with Seras and Sophia, discussing their options post-war. None of it felt consequential; John was too giddy and excited, and his brain was busy mulling over his options for spending his newfound points. All the same, he tried his best to stay involved in the conversation."

"Are we gonna move back into the ol' pocket world, or are you plannin' on makin' that Order house a home? Frankly, I wouldn't mind 'avin' easy access to a shower," Seras contemplated, apparently weighing the pros and cons of both worlds against each other.

"I mean, I was kind of hoping to buy our own place once I can get the money for it and an identity with a reason for having so much cash. The problem is the paperwork costs over a million dollars; I could actually get it with the rewards we're getting from the war, but that would require a lot of the points, so we wouldn't get as many items, experience, or other options."

"My home is where my Father and Mother nest," Sophia vowed, bowing her head. "But we will always have enemies, no matter whether they are waging war against us or not. I would prefer not to reside in the home of one who takes my Father for granted, but I would certainly understand if you wish to obtain further armaments, especially as we already have a place we can retreat to if all should fail."

"But what abou' the 'ole thin' with the Cabal knowin' where we were? I'm sure it wouldn' last long anyway when we move, but it'd be nice to sleep in a propah bed without worryin' about gettin' surprised."

"I thought you didn't sleep?"

"I mean, y'know, restin' next to you…" Seras blushed.

"I require little sleep, but I would prefer to be able to satisfy my Father in a secure location."

The banter and boasting continued like that, interrupted only by the occasional Order soldier requesting their attention or for the brief windows of embarking and disembarking the Order vans that carried John all the way to his personal safehouse. Moira thanked John again, but seemed almost as preoccupied as he was when they slammed the doors shut once more and drove off into the distance toward the Brighton Manor.

"Come on, you two," John quietly insisted, "let's go home. Then we can give everyone the good news."

---

"YAY, MYASTER WON!"

Despite John's best attempts to warn and caution Maera, Mithra, and Lunaya about their situation still being somewhat precarious, the Nekos were never quite capable of understanding gravitas particularly well. Mithra merely nodded and cradled her stomach with an understanding beyond what John expected from her. Lunaya glared at John, but otherwise remained cautiously happy, and Maera only proceeded to rub her face and the dirt from the mountains - her new playground - all over John's body.

"Maera, seriously, you're-"

"Myaster won! That means Maera goes freeee!"

John's heart sank a little at her excitement, realizing his own promises had come to fruition faster than he had ever anticipated. He took some solace in the fact that he had no belief Maera would want to actually separate from him once in the real world, but still… as much as John wanted to celebrate their victory, the idea of one of the Albidians getting ahold of his nekos…

All the same he could not entirely bring it upon himself to tone down the neko's glee as Maera buried her face into his shoulder, brushing ivory locks into his face and giggling softly while her nude body pressed against his. The neko continued to nuzzle him until eventually she satisfied her own desire for affection, retreating while purring, and cuddled up to her pregnant sister quietly. Seras and Sophia had already ventured into the house, seeking their own quarters while John was busy explaining things to the exuberant catgirls. Lunaya had barely even opened her eyelids, smiling warmly at the news while sunbathing in such a blatant manner that John almost wondered if she had ever been a real creature of the night at all.

"I have to protect so many… we need armor."

John had considered for quite a while about how to use his points, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Weapons were nice, trinkets were amazing, and with crafting materials he could pick and choose exactly what he wanted - but judging by the point values and the number of materials required to make things previously, that was exactly why crafting materials were so damn expensive. With crafting materials he could make an item for any slot, with any stats he wanted. Items couldn't be saved for later; they were set in stone the moment he chose them.

Still, that didn't immediately deter John. Items, as varying as they were in nature, seemed much cheaper to simply obtain and then enchant or craft runes onto as he desired. Furthermore, he had a strong desire to finally obtain an item of a reasonable rarity, so that he might be able to unlock whatever additions came with his system's rarity modules.

At 45 points per armor piece, he could get six before running low on his war rewards. Judging by his inventory spaces for equipped pieces, the average full set of armor was eight pieces, including a helm, chest piece, shoulder sets, bracers and such forearm coverings, gauntlets, two pieces of leg armor, one each for the thighs and calves, and then boots. That meant if he wanted anything above Common status, he wouldn't even be able to conjure a full set of armor for himself, much less his creations.

"Alright, I'm going to see what happens when I 'purchase' an Uncommon armor piece… I hope it’s a set that goes together - those bonuses are always the best," John announced, unsure if anyone was even paying attention at the moment. Pressing his way through the menus, John used the first 45 of his war points.

Item Acquired!
Steel Bracers of the Vigilant
Rarity: Uncommon
For the Watch!
+5 Agility
+5 Endurance

"Oh cool! That's actually pretty good," John noted, nodding at his own inventory. To those still in the area around him it might have looked almost insane, but John didn't particularly mind. He had a deity communicating with him via achievements and quests… no matter how off her guidance might seem, he at least always had the assurance that he wasn't only speaking to himself.

"Well, what about another piece?"

Item Acquired!
Steel Helm of the Wary
Rarity: Uncommon
Trust no one. Not even yourself.
+5 Wisdom
+5 Intellect

"Okay, not bad, but those stat boosts are completely unrelated. Why is it a different modifier than the first one? Wait…"

Item Acquired!
Steel Bracers of the Brutish
Rarity: Uncommon
HULK SMASH!
+5 Strength
+5 Endurance

"Wait, that's just another item for the forearm slot. Why would it give me- Oh. No…" John glanced across the notifications, a sense of dread filling his being.

"M-master? Is something wrong?"

"Father? Are we under attack? You sound distressed."

"No… no… NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

John wept as Seras and Sophia re-emerged from their home, rushing to see what had perturbed their master so. When no enemy reared its head, and when their master and lover had suffered no obvious damage, both of them were left rather befuddled. Even Mithra, crawling over to John and sniffling cautiously at his weeping head, was left uncertain as to the cause. It wasn't until nearly a full minute after his initial outburst that John raised his weary eyes, shaking his head in a defeated manner.

"Of all the cruel and inhumane things to do… she added loot boxes."

---

After realizing the reason behind the relatively low cost of his armaments, John resigned himself to spending the remaining points on basic, Common level gear. Fortunately, one item was all he'd needed - while contemplating how to spend the rest of his points, a window emerged in front of him with Evellyn's smiling face.

"Congratulations, Master Newman. You have unlocked the Item Rarity system add-on."

Beside Evellyn opened his usual inventory, along with a pop-up window with additional text.

Congratulations! Item Rarity now visible on all uses of Observe as well as in inventory management systems.

Item Rarity system:
Common: Mundane materials, no enchantment. Average craftsmanship.
Uncommon: More difficult to find mundane materials or highly skilled craftsmanship. Magical effects either due to method of creation or nature of materials.
Rare: Exceedingly rare materials or magically created ones. Minimum of above-average craftsmanship regardless of material; may hold lesser enchantments.
Epic: Magic materials, always with one or more magical effects, usually from enchantment. Typically one-of-a-kind crafted items or items made unique through intensive, lengthy improvements such as mana soaking, enchantment, or customization for personal use.
Legendary: Made from exceedingly rare materials, even among magically crafted equipment. Always unique, almost always with a story of historical significance related either to their creation, usage, or owner. These items have acquired top-tier magical effects due to usage, enchantments, or the extraordinary nature of their materials.
?????: ?????
?????: ?????

"Oh come on, that's not even all of it!"

"I am sorry, Master Newman, but this is all I have in my database at the moment."

"Well, isn't that just wonderful," John sighed. "Whatever. I still have to spend these points."

"Oooh, whatcha got now? More stuff like after a dungeon?" Seras asked, peeking over John's shoulder. He'd disbanded the party after the **** on the Cabal base had finished, though, so she couldn't actually see what he was doing.

"Wait, have I never- holy shit, how have I never mentioned this to you?!"

John was blown away for a moment by his own stupidity, but no more than he had been over the past few days regarding his own actions. Adding Seras to the party, as well as Sophia since they were both standing nearby. With his interface now visible to all of them, John started to cycle over the rewards again.

"Well, I got points for everything we did since the war 'officially' started. I was trying to figure out the best way to use them."

"Father, that technique you used before - you called it Reincarnation - it left you quite weak for a time, though you rapidly regained your strength. This… 'ex-pee' unit you said was required is offered as a reward. Perhaps now that we are not actively engaged in combat, it would be an excellent time to use it again? Seeing you increase in power so rapidly, regaining your full might in just a day…"

Sophia trailed off, covering her mouth with a finger. The way she was looking at him did not escape John, but for the moment he focused on her logic rather than her power fetish.

"That's not a bad idea…" John trailed off as he mulled over the cost of doing such. He was currently at level 14 and had a maximum level of 16. If he spent all the points he'd need to level up, it would only take 68 points after all the EXP he'd gained from the **** on the Cabal's headquarters. Even given what he had just spent on armor pieces, he'd still have over half his points left. He could probably still get Sophia a full set (or as full as his own was) after levelling…

What sealed it for John wasn't practicality, much as his Gamer instincts screamed at him to min-max. Instead it was seeing a beautiful woman, her eyes lit with passion, aching for him to grow. John hadn't been particularly intimate with Sophia despite her almost **** attempts to encourage such… and lately, he was growing to regret that all the more.

"Alright. Let's do that first - then I'll see about getting you your full set of armor."

"Armor? Father, you cannot mean to spend points you risked your life for simply to sate my-"

John ignored Sophia's faulty reasoning to focus more on his actions. Tapping the button rapidly to speed up the process, John spent his newly acquired war rewards as fast as he could until, at long last, he received a slew of pop-ups.

Maximum Level Acquired!
27 EXP Lost to maximum level

Achievement Unlocked! "What is it good for?!" ~ Survive your first Faction War and decide how to spend your points. Something tells me in about five you'll be declaring your own.

+50 Faction War reward points (Must be spent within 24 hours)

John has Leveled Up!
John has reached Levels 15 & 16!
+10 all Stats
+1 Talent Point

"Seems like an odd time to reward war points," John noted, glancing over one of his increasingly rare achievement rewards. "Also, five what? I seriously wish these were more helpful. Whatever, that's a few pieces of gear I can grab afterward…"

John ignored the notifications and his newfound stats due to the simple fact that he was about to do a hardcore factory reset on his existence anyway. Mashing through his buttons, John found his way to the Reincarnation tab and activated it without hesitation. Light engulfed John as he felt himself once again growing weaker, stats flooding away as his level diminished before his very eyes. Mana flowed into and out of him in disproportionate measure, until eventually balancing out. When it finally did so, both Seras and Sophia were under his arms, holding him up as the last vestiges of luminescence faded away.

"Thanks," John groaned, standing up and glancing over his new sheet.

John moved through the menus with pride, spending the remainder of his points on armor pieces until he eventually had a full set of armor for Sophia and had completed his own. With the helm and bracers he’d received, he was already close, and now he added Iron Pauldrons to his repertoire.

He ended up with several spare pieces, but despite his best efforts, the only thing he could get for Sophia’s head was an unfortunately mismatched Bronze Helm, which he promised to replace when he was able to finish smelting his Iron Ore to a usable form.

Though it looked a bit off with the varied texture and colors of iron and steel armor pieces, John now had coverings over most of his body, and they had just enough room between them to allow him to remain fully flexible, if a bit slower and more awkward due to all the extra weight. Sophia's took a bit more work to get into a usable form - mostly the pauldrons and breastplate to make sure that her wings could spread free. While he was finalizing the setup of their armor, Seras retreated into the house again to continue cleaning her gun.

"This is glorious, Father. I will do my best to honor your gifts and use them in your service."

"Thank you, Sophia. The war is over now, you know what that means, right?"

"Yes, our safety is more secure than it has been since I was hatched. You have assured us of that many times."

"No- well, yeah, but… it also means we're not constantly preparing for the next battle. We can prepare ourselves for anything. Dungeon runs are still going to happen, but they should all be for a purpose - and we can work on making this place more livable, too! Proper beds, a garden, some more chests so we're not shoving everything into the same magical inventory - plus armor and weaponry for you and Maera, Mithra too if she wants some, but… maybe not for a while. Not sure what Lunaya will want, maybe a-"

"You seem quite excited, Father," Sophia said, more softly than her usual bold tone. "I have not seen you like this since I hatched."

"Well, yeah, I mean, I'm kind of excited. And it was pretty amazing seeing you hatch out of that egg, passionate and fiery. It's nice to be able to enjoy all that without worrying about what will happen tomorrow."

His level had reset again, his stats were lowered, but John felt as strong as he ever had with his arms cradled by Seras and Sophia. They were always by his side, but with his own doubts removed, John was more conscious of their presence than ever. He wasn't fighting for anyone else's sake anymore, and he was doing things his own way for better or worse. John's biggest concern now was what it always should have been - his new friends… no, his new family. He would protect them, raise them, and perfect this world for them.

Buff Acquired! Certainty of Purpose!

John tapped the buff that appeared on his stat sheet. He remembered the buff, though he'd only seen it once before - and was very excited to finally see what it did.

Certainty of Purpose
Sophia will never hesitate when her Father is in danger. Share in her certainty and your enemies will fall before you.
+5% Strength, +5% Dexterity, +5% Endurance

"Sophia you're giving me a buff, some kind of power increase that's incredibly strong! I had no idea!" John glanced over it, and then at the harpy herself. She seemed normal for the most part, save one thing - her eyes were glistening red, as they did so often when they were in combat. Now, free of any anger or tension, John found himself staring into that crimson hue as she began to speak; it reminded him so very much of Seras' eyes.

"Father… my very being is dedicated to you. Do you doubt what I am capable of?"

"No, I- I'd never doubt you, Sophia. It's just-"

John paused, realizing something about that buff. He hadn't seen it since Sophia had hatched… he'd thought Sophia saw his excitement at something new happening, but had she been seeing something more? Something… more tangible? The lake was a reasonable distance from their spot near the house, but John crossed it in what felt like an instant. Kneeling at a relatively solid overhang above an edge of the lake, John knelt down and glanced into the water.

It was faint, but amidst the more natural tones of his irises, John saw a blood-red glow, just noticeable. He wondered if they would glisten like hers one day. John stood and saw Sophia approaching behind him, a curious look on her face.

"I don't doubt you at all, Sophia. I think maybe I've just stopped doubting myself, a little."

"You should never doubt yourself, Father. Be confident and you will surely lead us to glory."

"Appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'll stick to cautious optimism for now," John laughed. Sophia nodded and strode back shortly after, mentioning something about finding a place to store her new armor as well as getting accustomed to donning and removing it quickly.

John stood there for a while, glancing out across the lake. He realized, somewhat bitterly, that this was one of the first times he'd had a chance to be alone in quite some time. And there was something he wanted to do, now that he was alone and wouldn't feel quite so insane…

"Hey, you out there?"

John glanced between the lake and the sky, uncertain whether there was actually any meaning in looking up toward a theoretical god or not. What did up matter as a concept when speaking of another plane?

"You've heard things I've said, and see everything I do, so I guess you're probably always out there, huh?"

Still no response, not even a motion from his menus. John went on undeterred.

"But you seem to be against just telling me things. All I get are these achievements and quests and stuff, and I never really know when or why they'll show up. Still not sure why you wanted me to be such a massive dick to Etriyya, and then I didn't even need the rewards…"

Veering slightly away from his borderline anger at someone or something that could probably end him in an instant, John sighed and changed the subject.

"Well, what's done is done. If you can hear me, or- I guess if you care enough to answer, I still want to know why all this happened. These abilities, this world, this... everything I am now… why me? I was just a kid hanging out in his bedroom playing video games; what did I do to be me so much different than anyone else? Is there a purpose, is there a reason? You seem to be pushing me down certain paths at some times, and then not care at all at others. I don't want much, just- is this fate? Some sort of destiny? Random choice, done for a purpose, for entertainment? I don't like feeling as if things are pre-determined but I also don't like being left out of the loop. Both ways I feel like I'm just being toyed with. So please, anything, anything at all."

John waited for a while, not seeing anything, not feeling anything. The world didn't move, his mind didn't suddenly become enlightened. The lake, still as ever, only reflected his own face.

"Didn't think so. Figured it was worth a shot. I guess your 'young blade' really does get to find his own path. I'll admit, it's a nice feeling."

Quest Received: "Find Your Own Path."
Requirements: Complete at least three of the following seven objectives. Additional objectives may be completed for additional rewards.
Craftsman: Level up your Crafting, Runecrafting, and Build skills at least five times in total.
Warrior: Reach Level 25, Level at least 4 combat skills.
Leader: Have your creations gain at least 20 levels, Purify at least two creatures.
Merchant: Obtain $10,000,000, and spend it.
Friend: Increase your relationship score with all beings by a total of 1,000 or more.
Ally: Increase your standing with a Faction, become allied with a new faction, or save a friendly Faction member's life.
Lover: Have sex with ten people. Two must be new partners.
Rewards: Answers. And additional rewards based on completed tasks.
P.S. Fuck Fate. She's my third cousin and a complete bitch.

John's eyes scrolled across the massive text window in front of him, feeling a flurry of emotions. Honest appreciation, for feeling supported instead of being led by the hand. Excitement as he read the tasks, thought of the possibilities ahead of him and what he could do now. Hope that the answers would really be there, that he wasn't being teased.

And at the last, especially as he realized he wasn't being ignored, and that all of his words had been heard, John found himself collapsing to the ground, raucous and uncontrollable laughter exploding from him so abruptly that he once again heard frantic footsteps from the house approaching.

This universe was a truly mysterious, truly ridiculous place.